BizTimes Milwaukee: Wisconsin ranks near bottom on new Kauffman index

For several years, Milwaukee and Wisconsin were ranked near the bottom of the barrel in business creation and growth compared to the rest of the country, according to the annual Kauffman Index of Startup Activity.

Ward 4, a co-working space for startups and entrepreneurs located in the Pritzlaff Building at 333 N. Plankinton Ave.

In the 2017 Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, the metropolitan Milwaukee area ranked 39th, tied with Pittsburgh for the lowest ranked major metro area. Meanwhile, Wisconsin ranked last (25th) of the larger states rankings for the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity. The state also ranked last in 2016.

But then in 2018, the Kauffman Index of Startup Activity, put out by the Kansas City-based Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, was discontinued as the organization retooled its research strategy.

The entrepreneurship-focused nonprofit this week put out a new report, the Kauffman Indicators of Early-Stage Entrepreneurship, and Wisconsin still didn’t fare well.

According to the new report, based on 2017 data, Wisconsin received a -1.29 in the Kauffman Early-Stage Entrepreneurship Index. By this new measure, Wisconsin is again near the bottom of the rankings, placing ahead of just Rhode Island (-2.93), Ohio (-1.85), New Hampshire (-1.4) and Illinois (-1.36). The top performer was California, with a 2.86 index score, followed distantly by Missouri (1.86), Florida (1.75), Wyoming (1.68) and Texas (1.67). Read the full story here.

About Us

The Wisconsin Technology Council is the leading catalyst for tech-based development in Wisconsin. It is the independent, non-partisan science and technology advisor to the governor and the Legislature. Learn More